


One Thing, Many Memories

by SparkShark



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Childhood Memories, Dead Lover, Memories, Mute Neopolitan (RWBY), Oneshot, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Pre-Canon, Pre-Volume 4 (RWBY), Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24224251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkShark/pseuds/SparkShark
Summary: Neo has finally managed to find somewhere she can rest after the Fall of Beacon. The safety and warmth bring with them the opportunity to finally let everything that happened sink.Or - a girl with nothing reminisces about the times she had everything she wanted.
Relationships: Neopolitan/Roman Torchwick
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	One Thing, Many Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the RWBY Fan Server on Discord, as an entry for Week 2 of the RWBY Creator Celebration & Anniversary Event.

Despite her grand plans, Cinder Fall had only destroyed Beacon Academy. Parts of Vale still stood tall and protected, not to mention all the villages in the kingdom. Of course most of the nearest ones had been abandoned in fear of the massive waves of Grimm, what with them being attracted to the equally as massive Wyvern perched on top of Ozpin's tower. But the further Neo went from that accursed place, the less Grimm she encountered. She thoroughly searched each village she passed through that didn't have inhabitants, which was a grand total of two - in the first one she had foolishly started thinking about the bowler hat on top of her head; the subsequent negative thoughts caused three Ursas to home in on her. Dispatching them cause other Grimm to detect her and she had to abandon the village and anything it might have held. The second village was a better situation - she managed to loot a backpack, some spare clothes her size and money. There wasn't a reason to grab anything else - it would only slow her down.

The next village the mute arrived at was a ways away. By the time she reached it, she hadn't seen a single Grimm in two days. And even if there were any of the black monsters, the rain that was pouring down since the morning masked her until she reached her destination. The small town was well-protected, with walls three times her height and at least three feet thick. The guards didn't have the look of Huntsmen, but they didn't need much training to wield the 8-Key automatic rifles in their hands. They gave her a passing glance as she entered, but didn't stop her. Maybe they didn't want to leave the covered guard posts that kept the rain out. Neo certainly wanted to get out of it quicker. She soon found the only place in town where she could rent a room to herself - "The Hibernating Ursa", an inn with a sign on the front window denoting " _All Vacancies"._ She was in luck.

The inside was decidedly warmer than the rain-soaked streets. Behind the counter sat the spitting image of the stereotypical inn keeper: bald, with a perfect mustache, brawny but obviously overweight. Behind him on the wall was a board with six keys, above them a vintage-looking double barreled shotgun that also seemed to be pump-action. He was probably a retired Huntsman. The cleanliness of the place hinted at a lot of time one one's hands, or maybe a need to find work due to stress. And he seemed relatively bored, if the slight excitement that lit up his eyes at Neo's entrance was any indication. Her luck seemed to be mounting; if he was stressed and edge, he'd probably be asking more questions than the mute cared to answer. But her approach to the counter was met with an enthusiastic smile and open arms.

"Welcome to the Hibernating Ursa! The only inn in town, and we come with hot water in the showers and electricity! Is it a room you're looking for, miss?" Neo nodded. "Well you're in luck, all of ours are free, so you have the widest array of choices! All rooms are the same price, 7 lien for three nights, with breakfast for the first two days included in the price and free clotheswashing. Just warning ya, the water on the second floor comes a bit more slowly."

Neo nodded again, noticing he seemed to notice her lack of vocal answers. She looked to the number on the keys, then pointed to what she guessed was the middle room of the second floor. Now the man seemed positively confused as to the quietness of his guest. He took a second to take the key off the hangers, in which time Neo pulled out her Scroll (a waterproof model with a long batter life - she never knew when she'd have to swim) and machinegunned a message onto it. She raised it to the innkeeper and he squinted for a moment.

_"I'm mute, damaged voicebox. You happen to have a charger up in the room?"_

"Oh, I see. Yes, there's wall-mounted one, as well as a socket for other electric appliances. Might I have your name for the records. Doesn't need to be your real name, just need to have one something for the books." He seemed to be used to people with a skeleton or five in their metaphorical, and perhaps maybe even literal, closets.

Neo thought for a moment. She decided on a simple alias.

_"Write me down as Gelato."_

"Gelato... fits ya..." he looked down to the guest book in front of him, and by the time he wrote the name and the price, he looked up to see a Lien card and Neo halfway up the stairs.

* * *

The room itself was snug, but little more - the only furniture was a bed in one corner, a writing desk against the opposite wall, a nightstand with a small lamp, and a Dust-powered heater built into the wall. The scroll charger was just above the nightstand and had enough length to the cable so as to allow easy use while in bed. Neo let her Scroll refuel, then pulled out what she had in the backpack and left it on the bed. Leaving Hush to dry at the heater, Neo went straight for a hot shower. Finally being behind walls and under a long-needed shower, the mute let the events finally crash over her.

Roman was gone. His hat was all she could find, but she knew he didn't part with it willingly. There was a shred of her mind that subconsciously held onto hope. She hadn't found anything else from him, so maybe he was still alive and had just lost the hat and had to run. But that hope only made her even less hopeful. The world was cold, uncaring and crushed hope. The possibility that he was alive, with her experience, meant that he was likely dead simply because it'd be too good for him to be alive. There was no such thing as a happy ending.

She didn't notice how much she was crying until she started sobbing.

* * *

She came out of the shower after half an hour, when the hot water started to dwindle. Wrapped in a towel that had been hanging on the wall, she pulled the chair from the desk to in front of the heater. Hush had already dried up, so she closed it and balanced it against the nightstand. As she sat in front of the of the Dust appliance, wrapping the large towel more tightly around her, the situation seemed... familiar. Slowly, subconsciously, everything in the room shifted with her Semblance. Her towel turned into rags, used for so long they had holes and patches everywhere. The heater became a roaring fire fueled by broken pieces of wood, lacking that telltale _pop-crack_ of a true fire. The room was altered in such a way that it seemingly grew in size, turning into a small, half-abandoned warehouse, filled with various crates and boxes. Even Neo herself had changed - when she looked at her hands, they weren't freshly bathed, they were dirty and smudged by grime, fingers looking somewhat young and underfed.

She suddenly expected to hear a sound, and her mind responded. Footsteps, loud and muffled, as if heard through glass. Neo looked up - and she saw someone in a large, black coat approaching. Despite having rested, she thought she felt extremely tired. She didn't move a muscle as the figure approached and got illuminated by the fire at her feet. It was a teen boy, no more than 12, wearing a black coat meant for someone at least a foot taller than him. His hair was a bright orange, like the candies she always saw at the sweetsshop, eyes green like that display at that expensive store she could never remember the name of. But what she noticed first was his smirk - it wasn't predatory like that adult at the bakery, nor was it mocking like that group of children. If she had to describe it, at was more... amused. If she had to guess, he just kept that as a mask for his realism - what could you do about the world, might as well face all its hardships with a half-amused grin.

_"You know, I seem to be in luck today. Wanted to share a meal with someone in a quiet place tonight, and here you are."_

His voice sounded like his earlier footsteps - she could hear it loud, but it was like he spoke through a closed window. She wanted to reach out, grab him in hug, but instead she just sat there. As he pulled out two apples, she swore she could hear a growl coming from her - which was impossible given she was mute. Roman chuckled, the sound so muffled she barely heard it. He bit into one and extended the other towards Neo. She moved to grab it-

And then it all shattered, the sound of breaking mirrors filling her ears. She was sitting on the chair again, the heater was as it was, and the room hadn't changed at all. Her hands were again clean and healthy, just almost touching the top of the heater.

She realized she was experiencing a memory. The first time she met Roman. He was the first to show her any kindness, and at first she was careful. She didn't know him. And yet he helped her, took care of her, taught her to read and write, didn't think any less of her for being mute.

She knew what memory would come next. She supressed it for now, instead getting dressed in the loosest clothes she found, some boyish pajamas. She left her usual outfit to be washed, asking the innkeeper where that was done. She was no longer really concentrated on anything, but she knew he said something about his wife taking care of it and bringing it back. She left it with him in a basket he presented.

She went back to her room, laying down onto the bed. She knew what the other memories were like, and if they forced her to move in accordance with it, then she'd probably break something. Instead she closed her eyes and let the memories flood her dreams.

* * *

_She saw the alleyway as if she was there again. Dark, quiet, and currently occupied by three teens. One of them was holding the second from behind as the third was punching him repeatedly in the stomach. As her eyes accustomed to the darkness after the streetlight, Neo (recently named) could see that the teens were all boys, and the one being attacked had that same candy hair her friend had. It was Roman._

**_"So you think you can just work on our turf, not pay us, and get away with it?"_ ** _The sound of the punching boy was much clearer than before, no longer blocked by her senses being confused by her Semblance. He was blond, obviously older than Roman, at least 15 to Torchwick's 12, and he didn't keep his strength back. Roman grunted pathetically with each strike, but his grin came back after those words.  
_

**_"To be honest... You seemed dumb enough that it could work... Congrats, you seem have a three-quarters wit among your band of halfwits."_ ** _Defiant as always, the ginger boy gave a bloodied grin as he insulted them. There was something to be said about laughing in the face of death here.  
_

_The blond stopped punching him after the retort, and he had an expression like he just ate a lemon wit the peel. He then pulled out a butterfly knife, deftly spinning it open to reveal a serrated blade. **"So you also think you're some bigshot, eh? Well, let's see how sharp your tongue is after I cut it off."** Roman stopped grinning at that, obviously apprehensive now that his death seemed guaranteed to be slow. He didn't open his mouth as the blond tried to grab his tongue, and Neo realized she was running towards him, clutching a small dagger Roman had given her. Her muteness kept her quiet as she reached the assailant, and he noticed her far too late to prevent her from sinking the blade between his ribs. Blood poured. The blond gasped. His knife dropped to the floor. And Neo felt nothing but pride. She had protected Roman. As the blond fell and pulled the dagger out of him, some blood spattered Neo's face. She didn't care about it, as she turned to Roman with a proud smile on her lips. The boy holding him from behind let him go, shaking like a leaf, then turned tail and ran away. Neo followed him with a look. Realization dawned on her, and as she looked at her bloodied hands still clutching the blade, she let out a shaky, silent scream. As she dropped it, she felt two hands wrapping around her, a shock of bright orange filling a part of her vision._

**_"It's alright, Neo. Everything's alright."_ **

_She believed those words. She believed them the next time she killed someone to save herself or Roman. At one point, she no longer needed to hear them to believe them. And in the end, she didn't care if it was right.  
_

* * *

Neo woke up suddenly. Not startled, she simply opened her eyes up once the memory flashed through. She felt refreshed. There was no longer a need to sleep, as far as she could tell. Resting in an actual bed did wonders for the body and mind.

She sniffed the air, remembering being told breakfast was included in the price for the room. She couldn't smell anything, but the light seeping through the closed curtains was evidence that it was still early in the day, and a quick glance at her Scroll even gave her a time - it was barely 9 o'clock.

Well, guess food was Neo's next objective. Besides that, she had to buy supplies for further travels.

There were people who had to pay for taking Roman from her.

She closed her eyes. And she could see his surprised, mortified face quickly disappearing on that cursed airship.

A knock on the door snapped the mute out of her painful trance. She silently took Hush from besides the bed, walking slowly up to the door. when she was almost to it, she heard a voice from beyond the door.

_"Hello? I just wanted to return the clothes you left to be cleaned, miss. They've dried and I didn't want to mix them with our own laundry."_

Neo relaxed at the words. She hooked Hush to the door handle, then opened up to see the inn-keeper's wife. Middle-aged and blond, she had a certain grace to her that only came with experience.

"Ah, nice to meet you. Hopefully you found the accommodations comfortable. Here's the clothes you left, I made sure to check the material so I didn't wash them wrong." With a nod, the mute took the outfit. Smelling nicely of some generic floral softener, folded neatly, it looked brand new. She swore there was a tear near the left breast of the jacket, but now it was like it was never there.

"I noticed it was beat up, so I thought about fixing it up free of charge. Call it thanks for your work as a Huntress."

Neo's eyes shot up. Her thoughts were shocked into another memory.

* * *

_She was walking down the street, following Roman and picking whatever pocket passed by him. It had been a couple of years since they first met, and they had both left behind the old rags the mute used to wear. Now she had an actual dress - a simple, thick cotton thing dyed pink with brown accents. Roman, meanwhile, still wore that same black coat, but by virtue of a growth spurt it was now just his size._

**_"Now, Neo, we are going up in the world. I say we get enough money to get someone to teach us to fight. We can't rob banks and Dust shops without being capable of taking on Huntsmen."_ ** _Torchwick always had grand plans. Be it because of his gambling habits pushing him into higher risk, higher reward territories, or because he simply didn't want to be a street rat his whole life, Neo could never truly tell in those times. She simply followed him because he was practically all she really cared for even then. She had taken another two lives at that point - a man who tried to kidnap her, and a dog driven mad with hunger. Of those she never really forgot the dog, and to this day feels sad thinking of it.  
_

_As they were passing a street during an emptier moment, Neo contemplated his words. She then pulled on his coat to grab his attention, fishing out a notepad and a pen she carried to communicate when she couldn't just gesticulate it out. She learned the written word with exceptional speed, and she wrote faster than most adults they knew of. Quick as a bullet, she wrote down a short question: "Why don't we become Huntsmen ourselves? We wouldn't have to pay, right? And we'd get free food and rooms."_

_Roman's face darkened at the query, and he slapped the notebook shut after reading the contents. **"Neo, Huntsmen are nothing like what we've read about. They're just fools who think that, so long as they do the "right thing", they'll live to do it again. But most often, they simply die, forgotten and alone. The world simply isn't that bright to allow for heroes to do anything but throw their lives away. And we've suffered too much to allow ourselves to die for the sake of someone who'll forget it within the week. No, we can only trust ourselves and each other."**_

_Neo nodded. She agreed with the sentiment. Other people have done nothing but ignore her or try and harm her directly. They didn't deserve her sacrificing her life for them._

* * *

Neo returned to the present - seems she was just about to make things awkward with staring, so she simply nodded and sunk back into her room. Before she closed the door though, the mute mimed eating at the woman. She seemed to get it after a second. "Ah, yeah, breakfast is ready. Come down when you want to, it's until 10." With a last nod, Neo closed the door. She quickly changed into her now fixed battle outfit, grabbed her Scroll, then went down the stairs.

The whole reception room smelt of bacon and eggs, fresh toast and oranges. The keeper noticed her coming down as he raised eyes from his book and gave a friendly wave. "Ah, good morning miss. Just in time for your meal. We've got sunny side up eggs, fried bacon, toast, fruity cereal, and chicken&cheese sandwiches. What will you have?" He spread his hands widely over a number of boxed and packed foods - sandwiches in a basket, small plastic trays with various combinations of eggs, toast and bacon, plastic cups filled with milk and cereal. Neo contemplated for a moment, then noticed there were no actual tables. She guessed she'd have to eat up in her room, so she pointed to the sandwiches - made with what seemed to be mini baguettes - and held up two fingers. She hadn't eaten properly in a few days, not since she found a working fridge with some fruits in the abandoned village. The innkeeper passed her the food wrapped in a paper bag, never touching it with his bare hands, instead using a glove. He passed her the bag and went back to reading his book.

Neo was quickly back in her room and with a sandwich in hand. The first bite brought back with it memories, ones she had almost forgotten actually.

* * *

_They had just finished up with their first heist - a small Dust shop, the owner of which they knew constantly forgot to turn the alarm on. They had taken everything in the cash register, an amount of cards roughly equal to 5000 Lien. They had enough money now to keep them afloat for a good few months, and even with their trainer's fee, they still could live in the nearby inn and work from there. They had given some bogus story about how their parents had sent them there to learn fighting with their current teacher and sent them money, so the innkeeper let them stay on their lonesome in a room. As for their teacher, he was a grizzled, overly cynical middle-aged Huntsman. It was precisely his cynicism that persuaded him to train both Roman and Neo - they didn't want to kill the Grimm for the benefit of others, they wanted to be able to protect themselves. The Huntsman seemed to agree with their plans, so he made a deal to train them for 500 Lien a month. With the inn being a mere 5 lien per 2 days, breakfast included, they had enough money for 8 months of exclusively training before they needed to do another big hit._

_To celebrate, the teens bought various ingredients they could use in sandwiches, and experimented with what tasted well with what._

_Neo's attempts were fairly unsuccessful, while Roman had a feeling for this kind of thing. Even ingredients that at first glance wouldn't mix well made delicious combinations if the ginger thought of it._

**_"Here, try this one."_ ** _He passed Neo a piece of bread with peanut butter spread onto it, with a single slice of pickle on top. Neo cautiously put it in her mouth - despite all the successful attempts he's had so far, she didn't trust this one. She was wrong to doubt it though - the two went surprisingly well together._

**_"Heh, knew it. Guess I'm the one who's gonna be cooking from now on, if the amount you've eaten so far is any indication of my amazing skills."_ ** _He flicked his hair with pride, causing his mute companion to roll her eyes. But she had to agree - his cooking was the best. No restaurant could compare with it, and she loved every bite every time._

* * *

By the time Neo finished the memory, she had added a number of tears to her food. It tasted OK, nothing amazing. She realized just how much she's gonna miss yet another aspect of Roman Torchwick. She lost her appetite at the realization, returning the half-finished sandwich to the paper bag. A chocked, silent sob came out of her lungs, and she wiped her eyes from all the tears. She still needed to see about getting supplies for the journey ahead.

She spread out the items in her backpack onto the bed, making note of the fact that she only had clothes in it. She needed camping supplies, or at least a sleeping bag. The previous days had proven just how valuable such a thing is when roughing it in the woods. She didn't have an idea where she could get them, so she had to refer to the inn keeper again. He pointed her in the direction of a general store, which sold everything from food to bullets. Seems it made its business off of Huntsmen traveling between Vale and Vacuo. She ended up buying a more comfortable traveling bag, a sleeping bag, a multitool, even a weapon repair kit for Hush. She looked down at the parasol, and before she knew it she was being assaulted by another memory.

* * *

**_"Given what you want to do, you're best off using weapons that seem like mundane objects - belts, canes, hats, umbrellas, that kind of thing. I've got a few cheap examples of what such a thing could be, along with a list of other weapons. You'll make them yourselves, for yourselves."_ **

_Having trained for about a year now, Roman and Neo finally had the basics down. Well, Neo realistically did much better than Roman, but their teacher decided it would be better if they learned the same things at the same time. And now they were choosing what they were going to specialize in - different fighting styles suited different weapons, and it was easier to fit yourself around a tool than to fit a tool around yourself. Neo looked through the objects on the table. The clothing options were immediately discarded - she didn't like the idea of having to pull her weapon out of a sheath. In the end, her choice was quickly reduced to a straight-handled cane-sword and an umbrella with a gun. She scowled in the indecision - she wanted to have a blade and defense, but she had proved unfit to wield a shield - it slowed her down uncomfortably. And not only that, but she had very weak aim when she wasn't throwing something.  
_

_**"Why not mix the two?"** She looked to her partner in crime when he spoke. She had thought of it, but it didn't seem like much of an idea at first - why have a sheathed blade inside an umbrella with a gun? Unless she removed the gun part..._

**_"I know that look my dear Neo. You just had an epyphany!"_ ** _Roman grinned knowingly, and Neo returned the expression in kind. She noticed he was holding a cane with a hooked handle and a flare gun. He always had a knack of showing off when it benefited him._

**_"I recommend picking names now. Really makes you feel like the weapon is your own, and that has positive psychological effects in training."_ **

**_"Well, since I'm gonna make some music with this bad boy, I'm gonna name it Melodic Cudgel,"_ ** _Roman spoke quickly. He always seemed to enjoy giving names and nicknames to anyone and everyone, anything and everything. Neo's pretty sure he gave a nickname to their teacher, but he didn't like it much and just told them to refer to him as "Teach"._

_Neo, on the other hand, didn't see much reason to be naming it. She couldn't speak, so it wasn't like she'd be lovingly referring to it. But Roman knew her. So he turned and gave her a grin. **"Neo, how do you like "Hush" for your poison of choice? Sounds poetic for a mute to be silencing things, don't ya think?"**_

_Hush._

_She liked it._

* * *

The store owner didn't disturb her as she snapped out of her memory-induced trance, clutching her weapon with a single tear stain on it. He probably realized the pink, lacy parasol only looked like an accessory against the sun, when in reality it was a weapon. And given that only Huntsmen and Huntresses would fight with such odd tools, he guessed she was going through memories/anxieties/etc. Neo appreciated his lack of prodding and pushing, wrote a quick "thanks" on her Scroll as a goodbye and left the store, carrying the bigger backpack with her purchases on her back to keep her hands unoccupied.

She considered her options. She could take her stuff now, get moving to wards Vacuo and take a transport from there to Mistral. She knew Cinder Fall would be there. She had overheard her talking to her two brats about the future, and she had mentioned something about Mistral being next. That was her best lead.

But how quickly would she get there? Days, weeks, months? Her Plan for Beacon took a good 5 months just to take place at the best time, but that was because it had to happen during the Vytal Festival. And as far as she knew, that wouldn't happen for at least another 2 years, if the whole situation with Beacon didn't delay it further. Still, any plan would take some time to set in action.

She decided she'd stick around for another day. Rest up at the inn, have another breakfast, as much as it wouldn't taste as good, and get moving tomorrow before noon. That would afford her enough time to cover a decent amount of the road before she had to make camp.

She half-smiled. Seems all that talk Roman did about her being a natural strategist were right.

* * *

_It was late at night, years after they finished their training and last saw their teacher. Roman was hunched over a blueprint detailing the layout of bank, just one of the many steps of a process that took normally took months to complete - planning. There had been many a heists like that all over Remnant, and with how Neo could get them out of any tight situation, the escape route was always a piece of cake. This was going to be their first in the Kingdom of Vale, and most of the mental process going through Roman's mind at the current time was about the theatrics, about marking this as his own turf. Neo could tell he loved this place. There was a certain air to it that couldn't be found anywhere else in his opinion. Neo couldn't find it in herself to admit she really didn't care - she was always concerned only with her own presentation, not that of her surroundings. Whether they established themselves in Vacuo, Mistral or Atlas (okay, she had to admit - she hated Atlas due to the cold and the culture), Neo was more concerned with being as over-the-top as possible. Hush had been turned into a lace parasol protected by her Aura, making it much stronger than it would seem. And the face of anyone opposing her when they saw it in action was usually priceless._

_But right now, she was concerned for Roman. She sat at the door, clad in her current pajamas, one of her lover's shirts that hung loose over her shoulders and body, and watched Torchwick as he tapped a pencil and drew with it. He was slow to go to bed since he started planning this whole thing, and even when he eventually laid down, she could tell he was not sleeping. There was only so much makeup could hide, and his attitude was not one of those things. They've been together as a couple officially for a year now, and even long before then she knew what he thought when. He wanted this to be perfect. This was his moment of glory, where he'd announce his existence for the world to hear. She could see the excitement for this plan oozing out of him even now, when he was tired from the lack of sleep._

_Neo had to admit, she was also just being a bit selfish - she enjoyed his presence while she slept. No matter what amount of clothes they were in, she liked staying close to him and feeling his natural body heat. There was probably something to be said about childhood trauma and disliking the cold, but she didn't really care for the reasons and she knew he didn't either._

_In the end, she didn't have the heart to pull him away from his schematics. So she made two cups of coffee, set one down on the table and waited a second for Roman to notice it. It took him three seconds, but he finally looked it and then up._

**_"Ah, hey Neo. I'm coming to bed in a bit, just need to finish up a thing about the plan-"_ ** _Neo shushed him with a finger to his lips, motioning to her own cup, then pointing first to his head and then to hers, finishing it off with a thumbs-up. Her classic sign for "Two heads are better than one". Then she simply pushed him back into the chair and sat down in his lap, sipping at her caffeinated beverage as she looked over the blue papers.  
_

_The mute could hear Roman smirk, as he exhaled a puff of air when he did it. He delivered a kiss to the back of his ice-cream's head as he grabbed the mug with his own dose of coffee. A long sip later, he moved her closer into himself and set his arms back to the table, looking at the plans from over one of her shoulders._

**_"Well then my dear, perhaps we'll find that hidden talent for strategy of yours yet."_ **

* * *

Neo was pleasantly surprised to see that this flashback hadn't left her in one place, but she wasn't so delighted in how she was apparently crying the whole way from the store to the inn. Neither was she happy to see that the day was crawling to an end. Just how slowly had she been walking? She didn't even notice the inn keeper welcoming her again, instead just making a beeline for her room. She plopped her purchases down on the floor and fell down in her bed. She munched on the sandwiches for a good hour, not really out of having an appetite as much as half-awarely taking care of her hunger. She spent another few hours, or maybe minutes, she didn't know, flipping through various memories - the first time Roman got caught, all the times she pranked him with her Semblance, all the times he proved his silver tongue was perhaps even stronger than her Semblance, the first time they slept together. As sleep finally overtook her, she started remembering one of her most treasured moments with Torchwick...

* * *

_It had been a trap. The gang had a Huntsman with them, and he hadn't been tricked by Roman's or Neo's mundane-looking weapons. A fight broke out, and while they managed to defeat him and escape under Neo's illusions, she had been stabbed. She hid it. Roman was excitedly blabbering about how amazing she was, but she couldn't quite hear him, his words sounding as if filtered through water. By the time she blacked out, she saw the shock on his face._

_At least she saved him. As much as she wanted to be with him longer, as much as she wanted to see him rise to fame and power, she'd be content having saved him so far._

_As the world went dark, she could swear she felt tears on her cheeks. She didn't remember to have cried then._

.............................

...................

...........

......

...

_She never quite learned how long she was out. The soreness in her side, what she could only assume now was medication, and the fact that she rarely looked at calendars left that whole stretch of time blurry. But she remembers clearly the moment she woke up. She felt somewhat numb, especially around a spot on her flank, and she didn't want to move. Then she suddenly heard it._

**_"...don't... on me... lease..."_ **

_Muddled speech, gradually getting clearer as she woke up further._

**_"Please, Neo... stay with me... You're the one truly good thing in my life... I need you..."_ **

_She realized it was Roman that was speaking. Excitement returned some of the feeling to her body, and she could feel her right hand being wrapped in a warm embrace. Her eyes moved. Roman was beside what she assumed was a bed she was sleeping in, clutching her hand and holding it to his forehead, tears flowing from his eyes. She didn't understand what was going on at first, but soon she remembered she had been stabbed. With each second, the numbness in her body and the sleepiness in her head dispersed, and very soon she was able to squeeze back.  
_

_Roman didn't miss the movement._

**_"Neo... You're awake..."_ ** _He sounded so relieved at that, but he moved slowly, as if afraid he was hallucinating. When she smiled and squeezed tighter, he wrapped his arms around her as quickly and gently as he could, his tall frame completely covering her. She felt something go numb in her flank, probably supposed to be pain. She ignored it in favor of hugging him back. **"Gods, I was so scared... I thought I had lost ya... I was afraid I'd never..."** he pulled back, tears still running, but now out of relief and happiness. **"I was afraid I'd never be able to tell you... I love you, Neo. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for you, and it scares me to think what I'll do without you. I love you so much-"** He didn't finish, lips stopped mid-sentence by Neo's own. He passed the point of being shocked after a second, cupping her face in his hands as they kept up the kiss._

_She had never thought about what her feelings towards Roman were. She just wanted to be with him. It didn't matter what it was called. But now she knew that wasn't completely right. There was a word for her feelings._

_He had always been the better talker. Leave it to him to put it in words._

* * *

Neo woke up from a cold feeling on her face. She touched the pillow, her fingers making contact with wet fabric. Her eyes opened up, and she saw the whole pillow was soaked. She realized she was still crying.

She curled in on herself.

The emptiness of the bed was so, so cold.


End file.
